


Care

by sgtcalhouns



Category: Wreck-It Ralph (Movies)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-03
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-11-08 08:31:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17977886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sgtcalhouns/pseuds/sgtcalhouns
Summary: This takes place in the human/real world au. Tamora and Felix have been on one date at this point, so their relationship is still very new, and Felix knows nothing about her past.





	Care

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place in the human/real world au. Tamora and Felix have been on one date at this point, so their relationship is still very new, and Felix knows nothing about her past.

A loud cry ripped through the peaceful silence of the apartment building. Felix shot up, glancing at the clock on his bedside table. It was two in the morning; what on earth could be happening at this hour? Straining to listen for any other sounds of disturbance, he thought he heard sobbing coming from a nearby apartment. Getting up out of bed, he rushed toward the door. As he flung it open, he nearly collided with someone standing on the other side in his haste to go investigate. Stepping back, he recognized the woman standing before him, fist raised to knock.

“Tamora?” he said, his voice laced with concern. “Are you alright? I thought I heard a shout.”

She didn’t respond. It was clear that she was fighting to keep her emotions under control—her eyes were wide, her cheeks damp, and she was breathing heavily. Felix wanted more than anything to comfort her, but they had only been on one date. Things were still so fresh between them that they hadn’t established any clear boundaries, and right now was definitely not the time to go testing them out.

They stood frozen in place for a moment before Tamora released a shuddering breath, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around Felix’s neck. She buried her face in his shoulder and he could feel the wetness of her tears as they saturated his shirt. He returned the gesture, holding her close with one arm around her back while his other hand reached up to stroke her hair. 

“Did something happen, are you hurt?” he asked softly.

She shook her head. A wave of relief crashed over him at her response. His mind had jumped to the worst possible conclusions, and he was glad to know that, at the very least, she hadn’t been harmed.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

There was a brief pause before she shook her head ‘no’ once more. Felix nodded in understanding. While he didn’t know what had happened, it was clearly upsetting if it had gotten her this worked up. He had never seen her this way, and if he was being honest with himself, it scared him to see her so helpless. He held her just a bit tighter for a moment before pulling away to look at her.

“Why don’t we come in out of the hallway?” he suggested.

Tamora nodded, and he led her inside his apartment. She sat down on the couch and he joined her, occupying the cushion next to her. Instinctively, he reached out to straighten out her shirt and smooth her hair.

“Can I get you anything? A glass of water, or maybe some tea?” he asked as he tucked her bangs back behind her ear.

“No,” she said quietly.

“Do you want to stay here for the night?” he asked. “You can have the bed, and I’ll sleep out here on the–”

“No,” she said a bit harshly, grabbing his hand as he moved to stand up from the couch.

Felix nodded in understanding, reaching out to hold her hand in both of his. 

“Okay,” he said gently. “I’ll stay right here with you. Is it alright if I go grab us a blanket?”

She nodded. He quickly retreated to his bedroom, returning a moment later with a soft blue blanket. Settling back in next to her, he spread the blanket over them, taking extra care to make sure that Tamora was adequately covered. 

“C’mere,” he said softly, tentatively wrapping his arm around her shoulder. She leaned into his embrace, resting her head on his chest as she folded her legs up underneath her. “Is this okay?”

Once again, she nodded.

“Then I’ll stay right here like this for as long as you need me to, alright?” 

There was no response as she dozed off to sleep. Feeling relieved that he had been able to take care of her, it wasn’t long before he drifted off as well.

* * *

As Tamora came to her senses that morning, all her mind was able to register was the warmth. She couldn’t remember ever being this comfortable, and it was nearly enough to lull her right back to sleep. But suddenly, she noticed the hand rubbing gentle circles in her back, which effectively jolted her awake. She opened her eyes to find herself wrapped up in the caring embrace of her neighbor, Felix. At some point during the night, they had shifted in position, Felix lying across the couch cushions on his back with Tamora settled on top of him, her head tucked underneath his chin. Having noticed her waking up, Felix halted his ministrations.

“Tamora,” he said softly. “How are you feeling?”

Pushing herself up off of him, she sat up on the couch. In truth, she felt embarrassed and vulnerable, but she also couldn’t deny how much safer she had felt here with him.

“Good,” she finally replied. 

“Good,” he repeated with a small smile as he sat up next to her.

Tamora looked away from him, unable to face everything that had happened last night. It was awkward and uncomfortable knowing that he had no idea why she had come here or what had caused her to break down in the first place, but the thought of explaining everything to him filled her with unease. They had only been on one date, it was way too soon to unload all of her personal problems on him.

“Tamora,” he said gently, drawing her out of her thoughts. “I may not know exactly what happened last night, but I can tell it’s somethin’ serious. You don’t have to tell me about it now if you don’t want to.”

She relaxed just a bit, releasing a breath she didn’t know she had been holding.

“I’m sorry for barging in on you like that,” she said, still too ashamed to meet his gaze.

“Hey, look at me,” he said quietly, reaching out for her hand. After a beat, she reluctantly complied. “There’s nothing to apologize for. I invited you to come in. I’m glad I could be there for you. And if you ever need me like that again, my door will always be open.”

His genuine kindness baffled her. She felt absolutely overwhelmed with gratitude; for the first time, she had someone in her life who didn’t judge her, he just  _cared_. Leaning forward, she pressed a sweet kiss to his lips.

“Thank you,” she said.

Felix blushed, too flustered in the aftermath of the kiss to muster a response. A few moments later, he walked her to the door.

“I understand if you’re not feelin’ up to our date tonight, but I would still like to see you again soon,” he said a bit nervously, blush lingering on his cheeks. 

Tamora smiled, looking down at their still-connected hands. It made her chuckle that even after everything that had just happened, he still wanted to see her again. If he had any sense, her emotional outburst would have sent him running in the opposite direction. But, seeing as he hadn’t seemed to realize this yet, she decided she wasn’t going to let him go anytime soon. 

“I’ll see you at six.”


End file.
